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Become A Tour HostSummer is flying by! It’s July already! Summers in the south are hot and humid; luckily we got our camping trip in before the heat set in. Virginia is steeped in so much history, we decided to make a trip of it and visit some of the Civil War battlefields here.
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Visiting these hallowed grounds makes me think of how life has changed so much in the 150 years since the war took place; it also makes me ponder what our future holds.
During our trip, I started reading a new YA series I found on a trip to the library. It is something different from what I normally read, and it intrigued me. When I fall in love with a particular genre or sub-genre, I tend to read only those types of books, similar to when you always order the same thing at your favorite restaurant. Every now and again, I like to branch out and try something different; this book was it. Without further ado, here is Everneath by Brodi Ashton.
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Nikki Beckett has been gone for 100 years. Taken to the Everneath by Cole, an immortal, she sacrifices her emotions and energy so she no longer feels any of the pain of losing her mother or her boyfriend, Jack, cheating on her. After being sent back to Earth—or the Surface—after the feeding is over, only six months have passed. She’s sent to say her good-byes to her family and friends, before the Everneath comes to claim her forever. While on the Surface she must decide if she wants to escape death and remain with her boyfriend, Jack, let the Tunnels claim her, or return to the Everneath as Cole's queen.
Gems for Writers:
Mythology Retelling. This story is essentially a retelling of the Greek and Egyptian myths of the Underworld; there are many differences in this story, however, compared to the original myths. There is a queen in the Everneath—not a God, like Hades. It is not a place that souls go when they die; it is a place for immortals—which have no heart and therefore no emotions—who feed off the emotions of humans who sacrifice themselves. These immortals—or Everlivings—need new human sacrifices every 100 years, or 6 Earth months. After the humans are used, they are given 6 months in the human world before they are taken by shadowy, ghost-like figures—or Shades—to the Tunnels. It is in the Tunnels where they will be buried alive and their energy will be consumed until they die. This story is similar to many myths, but unlike any I’ve ever read before. Brodi Ashton did a great job of pulling me into this new “mythology.”
Flashbacks. Throughout the book, the author—through the point-of-view of the main character, Nikki—makes flashbacks to her time in the Everneath and her life before she chose to forfeit herself. Most of the book follows the timeline, or a countdown really, of the time she has left before the Shades come to take her. But this timeline is interspersed with episodes of her time underground with Cole and the events that led to her choice to leave the Surface. These flashbacks show insight into Nikki’s character and give the background that is needed to keep you hooked into the storyline.
Conclusion:
This book, like many first in a series, took a while to hook me in. But once the author hooked me in with the background story and her own, new mythology, I was ready to read more. I’m currently reading the second book in the series, Everbound, and look forward to the third in January 2014.
Until next time, Happy Reading and Scribing!
***Everneath (2012) by Brodi Ashton, is published and copyright HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray. It is available in stores, online (see above), and at your local public library.
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Gems for Writers:
Mythology Retelling. This story is essentially a retelling of the Greek and Egyptian myths of the Underworld; there are many differences in this story, however, compared to the original myths. There is a queen in the Everneath—not a God, like Hades. It is not a place that souls go when they die; it is a place for immortals—which have no heart and therefore no emotions—who feed off the emotions of humans who sacrifice themselves. These immortals—or Everlivings—need new human sacrifices every 100 years, or 6 Earth months. After the humans are used, they are given 6 months in the human world before they are taken by shadowy, ghost-like figures—or Shades—to the Tunnels. It is in the Tunnels where they will be buried alive and their energy will be consumed until they die. This story is similar to many myths, but unlike any I’ve ever read before. Brodi Ashton did a great job of pulling me into this new “mythology.”
Flashbacks. Throughout the book, the author—through the point-of-view of the main character, Nikki—makes flashbacks to her time in the Everneath and her life before she chose to forfeit herself. Most of the book follows the timeline, or a countdown really, of the time she has left before the Shades come to take her. But this timeline is interspersed with episodes of her time underground with Cole and the events that led to her choice to leave the Surface. These flashbacks show insight into Nikki’s character and give the background that is needed to keep you hooked into the storyline.
Rating:
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Conclusion:
This book, like many first in a series, took a while to hook me in. But once the author hooked me in with the background story and her own, new mythology, I was ready to read more. I’m currently reading the second book in the series, Everbound, and look forward to the third in January 2014.
Until next time, Happy Reading and Scribing!
***Everneath (2012) by Brodi Ashton, is published and copyright HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray. It is available in stores, online (see above), and at your local public library.
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